


Phoenix

by MerryLilHobbit



Series: Newt and Tina [13]
Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Babies, Childbirth, Children, F/M, Family, Fluff, Labour, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-24
Updated: 2016-12-24
Packaged: 2018-09-11 13:10:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8981083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MerryLilHobbit/pseuds/MerryLilHobbit
Summary: Newt and Tina welcome their first child.





	

**Author's Note:**

> The section on phoenixes in this story was copied straight from the "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" textbook, so I don't own that. It belongs to J.K. Rowling. Other than that, enjoy!

The contractions and labour started at two in the morning – a most inconvenient time to begin these things, but unfortunately there wasn’t a lot to be done about it except for flooing to St. Mungo’s (apparation being unsafe for the baby, of course) and hoping for the best.

Once they had been given a room with a bed, it was just a matter of waiting – well, waiting and a great deal of pain.

“There has to be a spell or a potion or _something_ to make this easier,” Tina breathed, closing her eyes and clutching Newt’s hand tightly. “Queenie never told me…told me about how much it hurts!”

Newt could only squeeze her hand back, only too aware that the smallest thing might make her snap; he knew from assisting in the births of several creatures that keeping the mother calm was of the utmost importance in a healthy delivery, and it made sense that it might be the same for human births too.

“Where are all the nurses? Healers? Doctors? _Anyone_?” His wife gritted out, getting het up anyway. “They should be in here!”

A Healer didn’t come into the room for another half an hour, and Tina looked ready to rip into her – but then she saw the grave look on the older witch’s face and restrained herself, knowing something serious must have delayed the process.

“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting so long,” The Healer apologized gently as she entered. “But there were several attacks last night; thankfully there’s only been three deaths, but many were injured. We’re severely understaffed, I’m afraid.”

“Oh. It’s fine,” Tina managed, though it was obvious she was gritting her teeth in pain. “It’s just…I don’t know much longer I can put up with this…is it meant to hurt so bad?”

“I’ll just take a look,” The witch agreed. “If you could just open your legs for me, dear, and I’ll check the birth canal.”

Newt avoided watching this, instead focusing his eyes on Tina’s face diligently; she was still holding his hand tightly, and she sent him a tiny wince when she noticed him watching her. “I’m…I’m fine, really, Newt. It’s just…just contractions.”

“You’re an awful liar,” He told her half-heartedly, hoping to make her smile; it worked somewhat as the corners of her lips turned up in a cross between a grimace and a grin. “It’ll be alright, love – the Healers here are well-trained. I was born here, you know.”

“Really? I suppose I shouldn’t really complain too much then.”

The Healer gave a hum as she straightened up again. “Alright, dearie, things are progressing nicely: you’re only a few centimetres away from being fully dilated, and then you can push.”

“A-A-Already?!” Tina suddenly looked terrified.

The Healer nodded with a kind smile. “Yes, but I wouldn’t worry too much: we can give you a pain-numbing potion shortly before we start the actual delivery. Besides, I’m sure your husband will be more than capable of helping you through it, Mrs Scamander.”

Tina spared Newt a slightly worried look, and he smiled weakly at her. “Of course,” He said earnestly. “I won’t leave you, Tina. I promise.”

* * *

 

When Tobias Kowalski had been born, Jacob had fainted; Queenie had found this to be preferable, apparently, as this meant he was out of the way and creating less stress during the birth.

Tina, on the other hand, wanted Newt fully conscious throughout the whole thing - if only to share the pain.

“You are _never_ touching me again!”

Newt could only grip her hand and squeeze it, trying not to panic too much. “Alright, Tina, if that’s what you want-”

“You should be doing this, not me!” Tina snapped half-heartedly. “You’re always referring to yourself as ‘mummy’ or whatever in the case, _you_ should be doing this!”

“Well…to be fair, I was ‘mum’ because I was the only one down there for a long time…”

She didn’t appear to hear him, letting out a low groan of pain. “I want this to be over so badly; the way most women talk about it, you’d think it was easy! I…I thought that it’d be simple and quick, but it’s not!”

Their designated midwife – Healer Jones – entered at that moment with an armful of towels and overheard this part of the conversation; she laughed to herself, shaking her head. “All women are different, Mrs Scamander; your birth is actually relatively quick. We’ve had mothers who have been in labour for _days_.”

Tina looked ready to collapse. “ _Days_?”

“Yes. But your little one,” She laughed, gesturing to her bump. “They’re very eager to meet you by the looks of things. You’ll probably only take another couple of hours at this rate.”

Newt wasn’t quite sure he’d survive another ‘couple of hours’ without being hexed or thrown out of the room.

* * *

 

She howled and yelled throughout the whole delivery, and it was all Newt could do not to faint or run from the room in terror; he had _never_ seen her like this, not once, and it was odd and strange –even somewhat _worrying_.

“Tina, dear, my ha- AH!”

“What was that?!” She asked sharply, panting harshly as a contraction finished.

He swallowed and forced himself to smile – though he winced while doing it. “Nothing,” He said hoarsely, trying to flex the fingers clutched in her hand. They didn’t move. “I was just going to say that…that you’re doing _so_ very well. That’s all.”

Tina huffed before another contraction hit her; she arched on the bed, letting out a cry of pain. “I don’t think I can do this!”

Healer Jones looked unperturbed by this reaction. “Your husband is right, Mrs Scamander: the head is starting to crown. It won’t be long now until you can hold your baby in your arms, you’ll see. You just need to keep breathing and keep pushing.”

“I’m _trying_ , thank you very much!” Tina’s grip on Newt’s hand increased almost unbearably, but he didn’t dare say anything to her about it – he knew better than that now.

Instead of complaining, he leaned down to brush her hair back behind her ears, out of the way. “You’re doing amazingly well, Tina. We’re so nearly there.”

Tina eyed him up warily, as if she hadn’t heard him. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, Newt, but…I am _never_ , _ever_ doing this again.”

* * *

 

The baby was such a tiny little thing, wrapped in a soft fluffy blue blanket and wriggling – it was also the most remarkable thing Newt had ever seen.

“Congratulations,” Healer Jones said softly as she carefully passed the baby to Tina to hold. “He’s a very healthy and very lively little boy.”

“He,” Tina whispered, and her face was alight with wonder as she looked down at him. “ _He_.”

Newt could only watch, amazed, as she gazed down at their son with such love and affection; despite the fact that she was exhausted, her hair was wild, and she was still somewhat sweating from the exertion of it all, she had never looked more beautiful to him than she did in that moment. As the Healer left the room, smiling to herself, he gently sat on the edge of the bed beside his wife so that he, too, could stare at the baby.

Tina let out a quiet sniff, and he suddenly realized that she was crying. “He’s perfect, Newt…he’s so beautiful…”

“Yes, he is,” Newt agreed thickly, on the verge of tears himself as he leaned in closer. “He’s the most perfect thing in the world.”

He – _their son_ – was a sight to behold; a tiny little button nose, parted lips, a smattering of freckles and a few tufts of dark hair. He could have cried at just how perfect this tiny little baby was, how much he had fallen in love with him in just a matter of seconds.

“Hello there,” He said quietly, voice barely louder than a whisper. “Aren’t you something? You gave us quite a bit of trouble arriving, didn’t you? Well, that doesn’t matter anymore…what matters is that you’re here now.” He gently ran a finger over a small tuft of dark hair sticking up from the baby’s head. “You’re like your mummy, aren’t you? Well, that’s quite alright with me, I can assure you.”

Tina let out a tearful laugh at his words. “I love you, Newt.”

“Yes,” Newt agreed softly, and he leaned in to press a kiss to the side of her head. “I love you too – and I love _him_ …more than anything in this world.”

* * *

 

They still hadn’t decided on a name by the afternoon; the baby had been taken to the hospital’s nursery a few hours previously, his hospital wristband bearing the name ‘Baby Scamander’ for the time being, and then brought back to them after his nap. After being fed, Newt had taken the baby in his arms and walked him around the room, absolutely enamoured by him.

“…I can’t wait to show you to all of our creatures,” Tina could hear him mutter, rocking the baby gently. “They’ll all love you, you’ll see. Dougal will especially be fond of you, I think; he helped look after your mummy when you were in her tummy, you know…and Pickett will love you too, no doubt – perhaps when you’re older he’ll sit in _your_ pockets instead of mine. Would you like that?”

“I’m sure _he_ ’d like that,” Tina affirmed with a grin. “But I’m not so sure about Pickett – he’s rather attached to you.”

“Yes, that is true…perhaps this will help lessen his attachment issues,” Newt chuckled, though she knew he wasn’t serious. He hummed for a few minutes and she just watched intently, rather taken in by the sight of her husband and her son together; his smile faded, however, as he looked out of the window of the hospital room. “It’s not all going to be as wonderful as the case and our creatures. A lot of the world out there is…” He hesitated. “It’s unsafe sometimes. There’s a lot of scary things going on in the world, and I’m sorry that we couldn’t have brought you into a different world, one where there isn’t a war, but…but there’s not a lot we can do about that now.”

Tina reached out for him, beckoning for him to join her on the bed – her smile, too, had disappeared. “It doesn’t matter,” She said quietly as he sat down, both to her husband and to their son. “We’ll protect you and keep you safe – we’ll try our hardest to make this world a better place for you somehow, I promise.”

“Yes,” Newt agreed softly with a nod, eyes still on the baby. “We promise.”

* * *

Their son had been born on the morning after three wizards were killed in attacks; it was strangely poetic, they reflected together, that their son was born just after others died.

The name was, surprisingly, Tina’s idea: during one of the baby’s feeds that afternoon, as she held her son close and looked down at him, she remembered something she had read from Newt’s book.

 _The phoenix lives to an immense age as it can regenerate, bursting into flames when its body begins to fail and rising again from the ashes as a chick._ And then, later in the passage: _Phoenix song is magical: it is reputed to increase the courage of the pure of heart and to strike fear into the hearts of the impure. Phoenix tears have powerful healing properties_.

“Phoenix,” She muttered to the baby, and her heart swelled at the sight of him.

Newt lifted his head. “Did you say something?”

“Yes. I think I’ve thought of a name for him,” Tina stated, and she was tearfully smiling at her husband again. “I think we should call him ‘Phoenix’.”

“Phoenix?” He looked slightly taken aback, though not in a negative way – more out of curiosity and surprise.

Tina nodded, gently brushing wisps of hair from the baby’s forehead. “Phoenixes are reborn after death, a new beginning, new hope – and he’s exactly that, Newt. Even with all of this…this war and death, we have _him_.”

“Phoenixes…their tears are so powerful they can heal nearly anything,” He said slowly, and his eyes had lit up. “And their songs are supposedly magical, increasing courage for the pure of heart…” He was grinning suddenly, moving to sit beside her and their baby. “It’s perfect, Tina – it’s absolutely perfect.”

* * *

 

Queenie had been humming as she finished preparing dinner, rather content; Daisy, barely three months old, had been put down for her nap, and she could hear Jacob and Toby playing from the sitting room. She couldn’t help but smile fondly at the sound of their son’s laughter, even more so when her husband’s chuckles joined in. She loved her family so much, she reflected, and she couldn’t wait to see how it would expand in the future – the more to love the better, she thought.

“Alright, boys! Dinner’s just about ready!”

There was a tapping on the kitchen window, and when she looked she saw a beautiful barn owl waiting expectantly with a letter tied to his leg. She immediately recognized it as being one of Newt and Tina’s owls, her heart soaring as she opened the window to let him in.

“Ooh!” She heard Toby’s voice babble from behind her, and when he looked over her shoulder she saw that he was on Jacob’s shoulders. “P’etty o’ohl.”

“Yes, sweetie,” She agreed affectionately, carefully untying the parchment from the owl’s leg; the poor animal looked absolutely exhausted, so she gave him a few seeds that had been left over from her cooking. “Very pretty owl.”

“Looks like one of Newt’s,” Jacob mused, carefully lowering their son into his chair before walking over to Queenie. “I wonder how they’re doing.”

Queenie opened the letter up and they huddled to read it together eagerly.

_To the entire Kowalski family,_

_I am overjoyed to announce that at ten o’clock this morning (22 nd June, that is), we welcomed Phoenix Newton Scamander into the world. I’m more than happy to say that both Tina and the baby are absolutely fine; they’re both healthy and recovering marvellously. _

_I’m sorry that this letter is so short, but things have been rather hectic since the baby’s birth (as I’m sure you can imagine). Again, we can’t wait for you to come and see him as soon as you can, though we realize it’s difficult with two small children to worry about._

_Looking forward to hearing from you soon, Newt_

“Teenie had her baby,” Queenie breathed, absolutely astounded.

Jacob was grinning widely. “Phoenix, huh? Unique name for a kid – I like it though.”

She couldn’t help the radiant smile that broke out on her face. “This is so wonderful! I know that they were both thinking about it for a long time…we must visit soon!” Her husband raised an eyebrow, and she knew what he was thinking: _all four of us? The kids too?_ “Oh, we’ll figure out a way to travel with the kids,” She brushed off, beaming at him. “I’m sure that they’d _love_ to meet their new cousin.”

As Queenie folded the letter and flicked her wand at the food so that it floated to the table, she couldn’t help but feel quite content: despite this war that everyone was so worried about, things really weren’t so bad at all.

**Author's Note:**

> Obviously there’s a time-zone difference between England and the USA, so 10am in England would probably be something like 5am in New York. Something like that.  
> Also, in case you haven’t read “Thread by Thread”, ‘Toby’ is short for ‘Tobias’ which is apparently Hebrew – so I don’t want any hate for the names I’ve chosen.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed - there'll be two more to come ;)
> 
> Like what I post? Why don't you check out [my Ko-fi page](https://www.ko-fi.com/meganwalsh)?


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